James Berkley Massey

Mr. James B. Massey, 71 James B. (J.B.) Massey died on Thursday, July 26, 2018, at Maury Regional Hospital, Columbia, TN. He was 71. A native of Grapevine, Arkansas, James (J.B.) was the husband of Georgia K. Massey of Nunnelly, Tennessee. J.B. was the son of the late William Berkley Massey and Mildred Milem Massey of Grapevine, Arkansas. J.B. enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1964 at the age of seventeen. He served two tours in Vietnam, where he was involved in a helicopter crash in 1966 while serving as a doorgunner. J.B. received numerous awards while serving in the military including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star for Valor, the Air Medal with 16 clusters and 1-V for Valor, and the Army Commendation Medal with 2 clusters. While in the military, J.B. served in Germany, performed field exercises in Turkey, served in Vietnam, and several military installations in the states. J.B. retired as a CW3 (Chief Warrant Officer 3) from the U.S. Army in 1984 after twenty years of service. J.B.’s first love was helicopters, particularly the UH1. He flew, inspected, tested, took them apart and put them back together. J.B. spent the next twenty years employed by a private contractor to the military working on helicopters – the UH1, the OH58, the CH47, and UH60. During his time as a private contractor, J.B. was in Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield/Desert Storm; Germany; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Egypt; Italy; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and several other locations in the states. J.B. retired in 2003. In 2012, J.B. and his wife, Georgia, moved from Savannah, Georgia, to Nunnelly, Tennessee. J.B. was a lifetime member of VFS and a Mason. J.B. was an avid gardener and sportsman who enjoyed hunting and spending time on his pontoon fishing on the Tennessee River. In addition to his wife, Georgia, J.B. is survived by his son, James C. (Tina) Massey of Clarksville, Tennessee; son, Jay Massey of Clarksville, TN; stepdaughter, Mollie (Paul) Tobias of Pinehurst, NC; stepdaughter, Maggie Strieder of Germany; and stepdaughter, Belma Taso of Germany; as well as ten grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. J.B. is also survived by his aunt, Mavis Marie James of Spokane Valley, Washington; one sister, Shirley Diann Hall Rhoades of Pine Bluff, Arkansas; and half-sister, Dorthy Freeman of Savannah, Georgia. J.B. was preceded in death by his parents, William and Mildred Massey, brother, William (Bill) Massey, and half-sister, Sybil Loreen Massey Davis.

James Berkley Massey

October 16, 1946 - July 26, 2018